A large thangka depicting Amitāyus and a Tara, Tibet, 18th century, The upper figure Amitāyus here typically depicted in the apparitional Buddha form (Sambhoga-kāya), red in colour, wearing jewels and a crown, seated in dhyānāsana and cradling the kalaśa in his lap. The kalaśa is a receptacle of water which is the foremost representative of life in general. Water is also allied to breath and all-pervading cosmic consciousness. In the Mahāyāna Tradition of Buddhism a Buddha is described as having three bodies: a form body (nirmāṇa-kāya), an apparitional body (Sambhoga-kāya) and an ultimate truth body (Dharma-kāya). Below a figure of a Tara, probably White Tara (Tibetan: Drol ma kar mo): the female Buddha of longevity with the right hand in varadamudrā “the gesture of granting boons” and other in vitarkamudrā. With this gesture in which the thumb and index finger form a ring, the Bodhisattva proves pure judgement and intellectual wisdom. Between her fingers she holds the stem of a white lotus (utpala). This bodhisattva is a completely enlightened Buddha and appears specifically for the purpose of bestowing longevity. 116,5x60,5 cm, Bought from Christie’s Amsterdam, December 5th 1989 lot number 170,